Wireless communication systems are widely used for many different purposes. More and more people every day purchase cellular telephones or other wireless communication devices, including but not limited to pagers, computers, and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA's). These electronic devices and others are capable of receiving and transmitting information using a communication system such as a cellular network.
Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communication systems, such as, CDMA IS95, CDMA2000 and WCDMA, have different transmission rates on the reverse link (i.e., from a mobile station to a Base Station Transceiver (BTS)). For example, there are full rate frames, half rate frames, quarter rate frames and eighth rate frames. The different rates are used depending upon the data being transmitted by a mobile station. During a series of eighth rate frames, the reverse power control in the cellular network will step down the power transmission Outer Loop Threshold (OLT) causing the transmission power of the mobile station to reduce to the minimal energy required to meet a desired frame error rate (FER) target.
When the transmission power is very low there are times when the mobile station will transmit a full rate frame (for example, when sending a Pilot Strength Measurement Message (PSMM)). Because the transmission power of the mobile station has been stepped down, it is very likely that the BTS will not be able to properly decode the full rate frame. When the full rate frame is a PSMM this can lead to a call being dropped. If the full rate frame is voice data, there will be poor voice quality. One current solution to this problem, that is not very effective, is to arbitrarily increase the OLT after a certain number of consecutive eighth rate frames (for example, after 50 eighth rate frames).
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions, sizing, and/or relative placement of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary meaning as is usually accorded to such terms and expressions by those skilled in the corresponding respective areas of inquiry and study except where other specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.